Intergenerational Initiative

We are working with older people in our community

Since January 2018 we have been working with older volunteers from our community and now have a team who come into school every week at set times and help support our young people in classes with their literacy and numeracy.

To really drive this forward, we have joined-up with the national centre for Intergenerational working: Generations Working Together and brought one of their Development Officers on to our staff. Maureen O'Reilly recruits and support volunteers to work alongside learners in Nursery, Primary and Secondary providing extra support in the raising of attainment and building respect and understanding between generations.

Their work is having an impact on both the learners and the older people. Pupils are reporting that they feel more confident in their reading, writing and number work, and the volunteers are really enjoying making a difference to the lives of young people - boosting their own sense of well-being. We are extremely pleased that everyone is benefiting.

John Swinney, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, has been citing our work as noteworthy practice and an excellent and innovative use of The Scottish Government's Pupil Equity Fund.

In February 2018 we compiled this video documenting our journey so far.

Would you, or an older person you know, like to support our young people in school?

We are always seeking older volunteers who have somewhere between 2-6 hours spare each week to take part in a variety of projects which will help students improve their reading, writing, listening, talking and number work. No experience is required as full training will be given and each volunteer will be fully supported by Maureen.

Additional Information

Our Intergenerational Development Officer has been funded using our Pupil Equity Fund and ispart of our strategy in the coming years to close the attainment gap as identified by The Scottish Government. More detail can be found on our School Improvement Plan

Generations Working Together provides information, delivers support and encourages involvement to benefit all of Scotland’s generations, by working, learning, volunteering and living together. Further information can be found on their website: